INRMP Workshop Scheduled

Board of Supervisors - 06/27/2008 - INRMP workshop to be held in the Board hearing room at 1:30 p.m.

El Dorado County General Plan Policies Related to the Integrated Natural Resources Management Plan (INRMP) Policy 7.4.2.8 "Develop within five years and implement an Integrated Natural Resources Management Plan (INRMP) that identifies important habitat in the County and establishes a program for effective habitat preservation and management .... The INRMP shall include the following components:

A. Habitat Inventory. This part of the INRMP shall inventory and map the following important habitats in El Dorado County:

1. Habitats that support special status species;

2. Aquatic environments including streams, rivers, and lakes;

3. Wetland and riparian habitat;

4. Important habitat for migratory deer herds; and

5. Large expanses of native vegetation.

The County should update the inventory every three years to identify the amount of important habitat protected, by habitat type, through County programs and the amount of important habitat removed because of new development during that period. The inventory and mapping effort shall be developed with the assistance of the Plant and Wildlife Technical Advisory Committee, CDFG, and USFWS. The inventory shall be maintained and updated by the County Planning Department and shall be publicly accessible.

B. Habitat Protection Strategy. This component shall describe a strategy for protecting important habitats based on coordinated land acquisitions (see item D below) and management of acquired land. The goal of the strategy shall be to conserve and restore contiguous blocks of important habitat to offset the effects of increased habitat loss and fragmentation elsewhere in the county. The Habitat Protection Strategy should be updated at least once every five years based on the results of the habitat monitoring program (item F below). Consideration of wildlife movement will be given by the County on all future 4- and 6-lane roadway construction projects. When feasible, natural undercrossings along proposed roadway alignments that could be utilized by terrestrial wildlife for movement will be preserved and enhanced.

C. Mitigation Assistance. This part of the INRMP shall establish a program to facilitate mitigation of impacts to biological resources resulting from projects approved by the County that are unable to avoid impacts on important habitats. The program may include development of mitigation banks, maintenance of lists of potential

2 El Dorado County General Plan Policies Related to the Integrated Natural Resources Management Plan (INRMP)

mitigation options, and incentives for developers and landowner participation in the habitat acquisition and management components of the INRMP.

D. Habitat Acquisition. Based on the Habitat Protection Strategy and in coordination with the Mitigation Assistance program, the INRMP shall include a program for identifying habitat acquisition opportunities involving willing sellers. Acquisition may be by state or federal land management agencies, private land trusts or mitigation banks, the County, or other public or private organizations. Lands may be acquired in fee or protected through acquisition of a conservation easement designed to protect the core habitat values of the land while allowing other uses by the fee owner. The program should identify opportunities for partnerships between the County and other organizations for habitat acquisition and management. In evaluating proposed acquisitions, consideration will be given to site specific features (e.g., condition and threats to habitat, presence of special status species), transaction related features (e.g., level of protection gained, time frame for purchase completion, relative costs), and regional considerations (e.g., connectivity with adjacent protected lands and important habitat, achieves multiple agency and community benefits). Parcels that include important habitat and are located generally to the west of the Eldorado National Forest should be given priority for acquisition. Priority will also be given to parcels that would preserve natural wildlife movement corridors such as crossing under major roadways (e.g., U.S. Highway 50 and across canyons). All land acquired shall be added to the Ecological Preserve overlay area.

E. Habitat Management. Each property or easement acquired through the INRMP should be evaluated to determine whether the biological resources would benefit from restoration or management actions. Examples of the many types of restoration or management actions that could be undertaken to improve current habitat conditions include: removal of non native plant species, planting native species, repair and rehabilitation of severely grazed riparian and upland habitats, removal of culverts and other structures that impede movement by native fishes, construction of roadway under and overcrossing that would facilitate movement by terrestrial wildlife, and installation of erosion control measures on land adjacent to sensitive wetland and riparian habitat.

3 El Dorado County General Plan Policies Related to the Integrated Natural Resources Management Plan (INRMP)

F. Monitoring. The INRMP shall include a habitat monitoring program that covers all areas under the Ecological Preserve overlay together with all lands acquired as part of the INRMP. Monitoring results shall be incorporated into future County planning efforts so as to more effectively conserve and restore important habitats. The results of all special status species monitoring shall be reported to the CNDDB. Monitoring results shall be compiled into an annual report to be presented to the Board of Supervisors.

G. Public Participation. The INRMP shall be developed with and include provisions for public participation and informal consultation with local, state, and federal agencies having jurisdiction over natural resources within the county.

H. Funding. The County shall develop a conservation fund to ensure adequate funding of the INRMP, including habitat maintenance and restoration. Funding may be provided from grants, mitigation fees, and the County general fund. The INRMP annual report described under item F above shall include information on current funding levels and shall project anticipated funding needs and anticipated and potential funding sources for the following five years.

Integrated Natural Resources Management Plan (INRMP)

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Comments may be sent to INRMP@edcgov.us

Please note: Most documents are .pdf files

INRMP Initial Inventory & Mapping Adopted by the Board of Supervisors 04/01/2008 as satisfying the requirements of General Plan Measure CO-M
- INRMP Initial Inventory Map (Exhibit 10, posted 04/04/2008)